Eating my Way Through Singapore

From what I can tell, Singapore is basically one huge shopping mall/food court.  Okay, there are a lot of neat temples and mosques around, and I did hit up the pretty spectacular Singapore Botanic Gardens (then again, if it’s a garden I’ll probably enjoy it).  But really, if you want to shop and eat, come to Singapore.  I’m not so good at the first but tried to make up for it with the second, though next time I’m in Singapore I’m bringing a friend to share the food/allow me to try more things.

After living in Madagascar for two years, somehow any portion of rice is not enough.  Seriously, I’m in Asia looking at every bowl of rice and thinking, “really, that’s it?”  Also, what’s this with the forks and knives?  Just give me a spoon to shovel it all in.  And don’t even get me started on chopsticks.

But, I digress.  The food in Singapore was pretty darn good.  And diverse.  One of the things to do in Singapore is go eat at a hawker center.  It’s pretty much a stand-alone food court with different stalls specializing in different foods.  You can get tea, juices, rice, noodles, fried things…  I had chicken rice, a curry puff, several types of delicious juices, a fried green onion pancake... it’s all part of the experience, right? 

Hawker center.

Chicken rice.
This self-timer gem is dedicated to you, Meredith.

Juice!

The cool thing about eating (and travelling) in south east Asia so far is the variety.  The cultures of the region are all mixed up with Indian and Chinese influences.  There’s Hindu and Buddhist temples next to mosques next to churches.  I can eat an Indian “murtabak” (savory pancake) then turn the corner and have a Chinese dumpling.  Yes, please.  It’s a nice change after Madagascar, where you’re pretty much Malagasy or “vazaha” with nothing in between.

The one thing I am missing is fresh vegetables.  So when I come visit you in America, please serve me a nice green salad.  I will be sure to give you a souvenir in exchange.

Chicken murtabak and iced milk tea.

Beer!  And it's not THB!

Chopstick sale in Chinatown.

Words of wisdom, brought to you at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

More milk tea and dumplings.

Random Musings on the World

I’ve been told re-entering America is going to be hard.  I’ve discussed it with other travellers and with other PCVs.  So far being outside of Madagascar has been a different experience.  I’ll share a few of the observations/comments that I’ve gathered so far.

First off, the world is really developed.  I mean, paved roads with lines in them, sidewalks and traffic lines?  WOW.  Somehow I thought being in Africa and even Asia would be like Madagascar.  Yeah, they paved the roads, but that’s about all the traffic control you’re likely to see.  Nope, I have to give it to South Africa and Asia, they really have their stuff together in the infrastructure department.

Bathrooms.  Clean, with running water and toilet paper.  Also really spectacular.

Technology.  Geez.  Could you put down your phone a second?  Part of me is scared of this cell phone craze.  I’m sitting on the subway watching 5-year-olds play with their parents’ phones and shriveled old men texting.  I am SO far behind.  The rest of me is annoyed by all the phones.  Can’t you talk to the person you’re with?  Also, could you quit snapping photos and actually look at the thing you’ve come around the world to see?

It’s interesting to gather opinions on America.  One man in Chinatown asked me who is the best, “Bush, W. Bush, Clinton, Obama, or John Kerry?”  That’s quite the question (and could someone explain why he put John Kerry in that list?).  A Malaysian taxi-driver told me that he thinks America is “too free.  You can’t tell who’s who.”  Maybe it’s just the born-and-bred American in me thinking that’s why America is great.  Then there’s the Kiwi woman in the hostel who’s shocked when a European is speaking English with an American accent, almost like it’s a bad thing.  Or the lady who poses for an “American-style” photo giving the thumbs-up sign.  Is that our peace sign in photos?  Or do we Americans just take ridiculous photos all the time?  (If that’s the case, I am truly American.)  Or the French girl who loved Atlanta for the shopping.  Atlanta?  On vacation?

Courtesy and good customer service.  This is something that I feel like America does pretty well (though I haven’t been there in a long time).  Travelling in various countries there have been airline representatives who completely ignored my questions, waiters who don’t even acknowledge that I sat down, bus drivers who can’t even say hi as I go to pay the fare.  I’m trying really hard to be nice, say please and thank you, is it too much to return the courtesy?

Women’s rights.  I was riding the bus back to my hostel in the evening and watched the bus loading.  There was about one woman for every 20 or 30 men.  In the restaurants there were no lone women or groups of women without at least one man present—usually the groups were 50/50 or majority men.  Where do all the women go at night?  Obviously the customs are different and I am not very familiar with the culture here that is heavily influenced by Islam and Buddhism.  I don’t feel unsafe as a woman, but I will say I am happy that I am going back to a place where it is not at all out of the ordinary for a woman to be out and about on her own, day or night.

One thing that seems ubiquitous is cheap tourist crap.  Every city has the same t-shirts, crappy clothing, key-chains, magnets, jewelry in some sort of kitchy stalls somewhere.  I heart (name your current city).

Well, hope you enjoyed those ramblings.  You can start looking forward to more when I come to a city near you!  Also, a big thank you to everyone who has made my journey safe and enjoyable thus far.

South Africa

Stop one on my trip home: South Africa.

I took the short flight from Tana to Johannesburg with my friend and fellow COS-ing PCV, Katherine.  The taxi breaking down multiple times on the way to the airport and the driver having to bribe some policemen somehow seemed appropriate.  And the rude check-in clerk at the airport plus the inexplicable baggage fees somehow managed to make leaving Madagascar a bit easier.  I really am going to miss the people (Malagasy, American, and otherwise), but that kind of annoying disfunctionality is not going to be something I miss.

I decided to spring for a safari while I was in South Africa.  As one of the other PCVs put it so well, it was time to go to Africa to see "all those animals I thought would be in Madagascar."  The safari was awesome.  I was pretty excited just to see the big comfy bed in my room and have a nice, hot shower, regardless of the animals.  But the safari didn't disappoint.  The only one of the "big 5" I didn't see was lions, but I saw a leopard, a rhino, a bunch of elephants (including babies!) and cape buffalo.  There were a ton of other animals too: various antelopes-kudu, impala, nyala, spring boc, water buck; hippos, crocodiles, birds: crested franklins, lilac breasted rollers (beautiful with 27 different colors to their plumage!), and more; giraffe, zebra, gnu (aka wildebeest), black-backed jackals, wild dogs (really lucky--only 400 left in the world!), hyena, leopard tortoise, baboons...  I also met some other travellers on the safari which was nice.  It was nice to relate to those who had been travelling and I also got a chance to practice how I'll respond to all the questions people will be asking once I get back to the U.S.  "So, did you get a chance to see the countryside?"  Um...

I also had one day to spend in Johannesburg, so I took a train in, saw the Apartheid Museum, and took an open bus tour.  Jo-burg has a lot of history I didn't know about, so it was interesting to learn some.  The Apartheid Museum was powerful and disturbing.

All in all, South Africa has been an excellent vacation but I think it's also been an excellent first-step towards my re-entry to American life.  Roads with painted lanes, stop lights, new cars, clean running water, diverse people... all things that have been amazing and awesome to experience again.

I'm in the Abu Dhabi airport making my way onward; next stop Singapore.  I'll catch up with all of you later.

Here's the photographic proof I was there.

This giraffe was having lunch right behind the lodge.

Blyde River Canyon.  Stunning.

Nyalas joining us for breakfast.

Rhino

Lilac Breasted Roller.
Made me wish I had a nicer camera to do its beauty justice.

Samitsara!

It's official, I'm an RPCV (returned PCV, though not quite returned to the USA just yet).  That's right, I survived two years in rural Madagascar.  I'm not really ready to sum it all up for you, not sure if I'll really ever be able to.  Over the past two years I feel like I've felt every possible emotion as strongly as it could be felt.  Overjoyed, terrified, annoyed, ecstatic, frustrated, apathetic, afraid, excited, disconnected, overstimulated...  At our close-of-service conference, PC handed back our "aspiration statements" that we wrote just before coming to Madagascar.  What I got out of my PC experience wasn't at all what I anticipated going in.  But even without a lot of time to reflect on the experience, I know that I have gotten so much out of my PC service.  So to all of you out there who have had some part in my service, whether you wrote, followed the blog, visited, worked with me, sent good vibes, or whatever, thanks so much for making it great!

Today I flew to South Africa to begin my journey home.  I'll be here looking for the mainland Africa stuff that Madagascar's missing (lions and tigers and bears, oh my!), then headed off to Singapore/Thailand area for around 3 weeks.  If you have any tips on places I should stop in Asia, please let me know!  I'll try to keep you all updated and hope to see some of you back in the USA.

So for now, Samitsara Madagasikara, andro hafa koa!

Madagascar, the cliff notes version.

Well I am in Tana this week to finish up my job as a Peace Corps volunteer.  I'm running around doing business-like things such as closing my bank account and typing up documents to talk about my work as a PCV--in other words the type of errands/work that I pretty much haven't done in the last two years.  It's strange, but I guess it's just step one in returning to my life in America.

I know it's been a while since I had a chance to post anything substantial on here.  The past few months I have felt a little like a crazy person running around the village trying to finish up work, say good-bye, and prepare Ambohimanarina for what's to come.  I found out at the last minute that I am being replaced by a new PCV, so I'm excited for all of them to have the opportunity to continue working with PC to learn new things and improve life in the village.

Finishing up I've had a rush of people trying to build cookstoves before I left (ironic to me since they learned to build the stoves while working beside me and thus should be fully capable of building them without me).  The women's artisans association I work with had a small party where we made a huge tub of pasta and they finally got their act together to start selling items at the Marojejy kiosk.  I really hope that they will be able to create a functional business out of the operation.  I noticed huge gains in the English-speaking skills of my two most dedicated students; it was definitely nice to see results even from one of my least favorite activities I've done here.

My work with my counterpart, Ratsirison, has been as somewhat of an advisor.  I found out that Ratsirison's nickname in town is raha be plan, basically he's the guy with all the plans.  Ratsirison has about 20 good ideas that he wants to carry out and just not enough time or focus to finish one of them.  I've tried to encourage him to focus on just one or two projects and bring them to completion; hopefully he'll take that advice to heart in the future.  Ratsirison and I went to Anjialava, a town in the forest "near" Ambohimanarina.  It took us a 1 hour bike/3 hour hike up some really steep mountains to get there.  On the way I saw some really depressing examples of tetiky or slash and burn agriculture.  Most of the stuff you see from the road is slash and burn of secondary forest, but this was the destruction of primary forest.  The town of Anjialava was very nice but we really didn't have time to hang around long before we headed home.  I got to see the primary forest that Ratsirison hopes to get permission to protect in the future which was interesting and there is the potential for a lot of environmental work to be done in Anjialava, unfortunately I didn't have the time to do it.  Mostly the trip was incredibly tiring and gave me a massive amount of scrapes on my arms and legs, but in the end it was a sight that I am glad to have seen before leaving Madagascar.

Saying good-bye to the villagers was very sad.  Ambohimanarina will always have a special place in my heart and I know that I have a second family waiting to host me there whenever I can return to visit.  I also said good-bye to many other PCVs.  It's been really incredible getting to know everyone--Malagasy, American, and otherwise--so if you are out there following along please keep in touch!

And now, for the highlights of my PC experience in photo form...

Day 1 in Ambohimanarina

Christmas Cuties

Earth Day 2012, Cookstove Demonstration

Rice Harvest

Drying Rice

Litchi Picking

Michael and Encoo

Little Visitors

Looking at Books

Focused Staring

Hair Braiding

Market Day

Home Sweet Home

Sewing Association

Sewing Association Party

Learning to Sew with Angeline

Vanilla Flowers

Sunset over Ambohimanarina and Marojejy

Drying Vanilla

Valencia and Only

Lokoho River

Slash and Burn

Mom and Meredith Brave Madagascar

Inside Marojejy National Park

Stormy Avenue of the Baobobs

Adventures with other PCVs in Sambava

John becomes Santa

Sorry for the delay...

...but it's going to be a bit longer.  Thanks for your dedicated readership.  I am in the last week and a little in Ambohimanarina.  This has been a pretty busy period, plus I am having computer issues.  So sorry, but y'all will have to wait a bit longer for an update from me.